Mr Downey's family now hope to raise awareness of risks attached to the profession and the need for regular safety checks for electricians following the tragedy.

Mr Downey, of Fort Austin Avenue, had been working on a 230-volt consumer unit at the Plymstock home where wider refurbishment was being carried out when he was accidentally electrocuted and died.

The electrician had been left by the homeowners at around 10am to “get on with the job” according to health and safety inspector Richard Hines.

But when they returned to see what progress had been made, they found Mr Downey in the small cupboard and in direct contact with copper piping.

Senior Coroner Ian Arrow said that Mr Downey's death was the result of a "hand to leg electrocution"

Emergency crews and Western Power Distribution workers were called to the property in Manor Road just after 1pm on July 24.

Mr Downey was sadly pronounced dead at the scene and approximately 1,700 properties in the Plymstock area lost electricity following the incident.

The health and safety inspector, specialising in Electrical and Control System Engineering, stated in his account that the cut-out fuse had not been disconnected and so was still live when Mr Downey was working.

This should have been isolated before work was completed on the consumer unit, the inquest heard.

Read More

Inspector Mr Hines noted that due to the hot temperatures on that summer day, Mr Downey had been wearing shorts, exposing his bare skin to the copper piping.

This meant that electricity could easily be passed through his body from the naked wire he was holding and the pipes below.

Due to Mr Downey wanting to make his work space in the small storage cupboard more comfortable, he removed two wooden floor boards.

This meant he was sat directly in contact with copper piping.

The Herald attended Manor Road where the incident happened

Detective Constable Sean Harris was on the scene following the incident and found a naked end of a live cable in his left hand leaving him with an obvious burn between his finger and thumb due to the electricity contact.

DC Harris said: "I was on duty in plain clothes when I attended the address at about 12.55 hours in the company of DC John Buckley. There were reports of a workplace accident.

"On arrival a male was found in a small storage cupboard with the main supply of electricity on which the deceased had been working.

"At 13.07 he was pronounced dead by paramedics from South Western Ambulance Service."

He added: “Due to Mr Downey wearing shorts at the time, he was in direct contact with the water mains copper piping, creating the perfect circuit through the body.”

Read More

DC Harris confirmed that had the cut-out fuse been removed there would have been no electrical supply to the house and the incident would not have happened.

He clarified that there was no suggestion of any third party involvement, the three pieces of equipment he used were functioning normally and there was nothing unusual about the circuit board he was working on.

The inquest also heard how Mr Downey had a form of cancer called Non-Hodgkin lymphoma, which starts in white blood cells called lymphocytes and are part of the body's immune system.